Germany on Tuesday placed a second district under lockdown over a coronavirus outbreak at a slaughterhouse, just hours after similar restrictions were imposed for a neighbouring area.

"In order to protect the population, we are now launching a further safety and security package to effectively combat the spread of the virus," North Rhine-Westphalia health minister Karl-Josef Laumann said Tuesday, ordering a lockdown for the district of Warendorf on lockdown.

Authorities had earlier announced similar measures in the neighbouring district of Guetersloh after more than 1,500 workers tested positive for COVID-19 at the slaughterhouse.